Best Friends For Life
by BizzareBavarian
Summary: Brathan couple, Breyton friendship. Brooke gets pregnant, Peyton stands by her. Rated T for language, previously under pen name: MissUnderstood92
1. Introduction

**AN: Yes, I deleted A Little Suprise. It was waaaaaaaay too hard for me to write it. I couldn't think of anything. I'm terribly sorry. But I have a new story, and hopefully you wont chop off my head for it ; _Flashbacks in italics_  
**

* * *

_She drank one after another, refilling the glasses each time she reached the bottom, until the bottle was completely empty, which is when she went in search of another one. After what seemed like a million drinks, Brooke staggered over to her target, Lucas. "So what are you doing here Luke? Come to rub it in my face how you're living the amazing life with your one true love, while I basically rot in the hell I call life?" She had an evil smile on her face as she spoke, red cup in hand._

_"What are you talking about Brooke?" Lucas shook his head, not realizing what he was getting himself into when he came to the party tonight without his trusty girlfriend._

_"What am I talking about?!" Brooke exclaimed, dropping her cup. "Oh damn" She cursed silently under her breath, taking the cup from Lucas's hands and downing it. "I mean how you basically told me I was the 'other woman', and I helped you cheat on your girlfriend. You know, the one you call your one and only true love?" Anger dripping in Brooke's voice, she pushed him as hard as she could, which actually wasn't that hard at all. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you" She repeated over and over again, hitting him against his chest._

_"No you don't" Lucas shook his head as she beat against his chest. Bringing her into his arms, Luke smiled against her head. "You love me. You love me so much you wish that you could just go back to the way it was and have sex with me **right now.**" Lucas smirked seductively, dragging her out into his car._

_And that's when her wall fell. The wall she told herself wouldn't fall. As they were making 'love', all Brooke thought of was how he tore down her wall, like there was nothing else in the world. He did that to her every single time. He tore it down to a point where it couldn't come back. She despised that about him at the current moment. She used to love it, but now? It just was another reason for her to hate him._

_As they began slowing down, Lucas kissed Brooke deeply, but Brooke pulled away, connecting her hand hard against his face. "Shit Brooke, what was that for?" A hurt look on his face, rubbing his hand against the spot she slapped him._

_"For bringing my wall down again. For making me the 'other woman' again, for making me weak in your arms, for this, for everything. Lucas Scott, I despise you. I despise everything about you" She shook her head, pulling her skirt back on, along with her bra and shirt, walking out of the car, leaving Lucas stunned._

* * *

That was about 4 months ago, and since then, Peyton had found out what Lucas did to her and Brooke, and proceeded to give Luke hell by breaking up with him in front of everyone, also slapping him across the face, but suprisingly, she forgave Brooke.No one could figure out why. Not even Peyton or Brooke themselves. But here Brooke was, driving with Peyton to school, listening to music and talking about boys, when suddenly, Brooke stops the car, gets out and throws up on the side of the road. Peyton immediately got out of the car, rubbing Brooke's back as she threw up. When she had finished, Brooke went into her car and grabbed a napkin, wiping her mouth. "What the hell was that?" She asked no one in particular, getting breath mints out of her bag and putting a few in her mouth 

"I don't know" Peyton replied, a worried look on her face. "Maybe you shouldn't go to school today" She suggested, putting her hand back on Brooke's back

Brooke immediately shook her head, regretting it because now she had a pretty bad headache. "I can't. We have cheerleading practice" She reminded Peyton

"I'll take over today, but you should stay home. I'll drive over when practice starts and come back when it ends"

"Fine" Brooke finally gave in "But I'm only doing this because I feel like crap" She pointed her finger at Peyton, turning the car around and driving back home.

"I know B. I know" Peyton smirked, laughing a little to herself as Brooke drove back to the house they shared since her dad was never home, and Brooke's parents were kind of MIA. Once they got home, Peyton and Brooke plopped down on the couch with a warm blanket, Music and Lyrics, and a bowl of popcorn. But apparently, popcorn didn't agree with Brooke's stomach either, so after just smelling the butter, she put her hand over her mouth and sprinted to the bathroom, with Peyton following behind her, holding her hair and rubbing her back as she threw up.

"Goddamnit. What is with this? All I did was smell the popcorn and I wanted to throw up. I LOVE popcorn. Peyton, what's going on?" She looked desparately up at her best friend, her hazel eyes looking confused.

"I don't know B. Maybe we should take you to the doctor" Peyton suggested.

* * *

After coming home from the doctor, Brooke immediately crashed in her bed, extremely tired. It was a good thing she did, otherwise Peyton wouldn't have left for cheer practice. When she came home, Brooke was still asleep in her room. Peyton walked downstairs and accidentally fell asleep on the couch.

A few days after the appointment, Brooke still hadn't gone to school, since this throwing up thing wouldn't go away. Brooke was sitting in the living room watching TV when the phone rang. She went to go answer it _**"Hello?" She answered into the phone sweetly**_

_**"Brooke Davis?" It was her doctor**_

_**"Yes, this is she"**_

_**"We found out what's wrong with you. But it probably won't go away for about nine months or so" He explained**_

_**"What are you talking about?" Brooke was confused. Nine months?**_

_**"Miss Davis, you're 4 months pregnant" He explained**_

Brooke immediately hung up the phone. Pregnant? It made sense. She hadn't had her period for a while now, and she had been extremely tired and throwing up all the time. But pregnant? How could this have happened? And then it clicked. "Lucas" She whispered. "Fuck." She cursed under her breath. Great. Someone must hate her for doing this. She put her hand on her stomach and sighed. "Baby, you're going to cause me a hell of a lot of trouble" She then went over to the phone and called Peyton, telling her the news. She rushed home.

"Pregnant B?!?!" Peyton exclaimed

"And with none other than Lucas Scott's child" Brooke replied bitterly

"What are you going to do?" Peyton sat down on the couch

"Have the baby" Brooke answered simply, sitting down next to Peyton. "And not tell Lucas, if that's ok with you?" She raised her eyebrow at her friend.

"I think you should tell him, but if you don't want to, it's your choice" Peyton nodded "But I was hoping you would say you would keep it, because we do have another room" She smiled a little

"Well I guess in 5 months, it won't be us against the world anymore, huh?" Brooke smiled a little, looking down at the stomach.

"Guess not" Peyton smiled, putting her hand on Brooke's stomach.


	2. Sing Me Anything

Her hair tyed in a messy bun, clad in a overly large sweatshirt, flannel pants, and mismatched socks, one wouldn't be able to notice that this was the Brooke Davis that graduated from Tree Hill high school just a month before. It had been six months since Brooke found out she was pregnant with Lucas's child, and a month since Jillian Erica Davis was born. Brooke was able to graduate early from Tree Hill High, after working her ass off during her pregnancy. She still lived with Peyton, and took care of Jillian during the day until Peyton came home, and a little while after, until she had to go to work, and by then, Jillian was usually asleep. She got a job as a hostess at a fancy italian restaurant, which paid pretty well so that she could buy things for Jillian and herself.

February 14th 2007 was the day Brooke became mother. Valentine's Day.

Brooke had never really like valentine's day before Jillian was born, but now? She loved it.

Her daughter meant the world to her, and nothing would ever change that.

But during times like this, Brooke just didn't know what to do.

She walked around the nursery that Peyton and she had decorated, trying desperately to get her daughter to stop crying.

"Come on bean, please stop crying for Mommy?" She pleaded with Jillian, bouncing her up and down, but the baby continued to cry.

The nickname bean came from the fact that she and Peyton would always call her Jilly Bean, but now, it was just shortened to bean.

By now, Brooke had tried everything. Her diaper was dry, she wasn't hungry, and she wasn't sleeping at all.

"Did you try singing to her B?" Peyton suggested with a worried look on her face. Brooke looked like she was at her end right now.

"What do I sing?" Brooke looked up at her best friend tiredly. Singing to her month old daughter was something she was not in the mood for right now, but if it would get Jillian to stop crying, she would do anything.

"Existentialism on Prom Night?" Peyton suggested

"I don't know that one" Brooke shook her head

"Fine, I'll do it then" Peyton walked over to Brooke, putting her hand around Jillian's face

_ When the sun came up,  
We were sleeping in,  
Sunk inside our blankets,  
Sprawled across the bed,  
And we were dreaming,_

Peyton took Jillian from Brooke's arms, signaling that she could go rest and she would take care of Jillian. Brooke kissed Jillian's forehead and left the room, going to hers to try and sleep a little bit since it was her night off.

_There are moments when,  
When I know it and  
The world revolves around us,  
And we're keeping it,  
Keep it all going,  
This delicate balance,  
Vulnerable all knowing, _

Peyton sat down at the rocking chair, trailing her hand along her goddaughter's face. She wished everything would always be this simple. Sing a little bit, and everything would go away. But she and Brooke both knew it wouldn't always be this easy. Hiding Jillian from her father would prove to be the hardest thing they would ever do. And however much she pleaded with Brooke to tell Lucas, even though he didn't deserve it in the least, she never would until she realized Jillian needed her father.  
_  
Sing like you think no one's listening,  
You would kill for this,  
Just a little bit,  
Just a little bit,  
You would, kill for this  
_

Proceeding to sing a little bit louder, she couldn't imagine how it was going to be for Brooke. Having a daughter straight out of high school, deciding to put your whole life on hold, for one person. For the person who didn't even know her own name yet. The person who's life depended on you.  
_  
Sing like you think no one's listening,  
You would kill for this,  
Just a little bit,  
Just a little bit,  
You would, you would...  
_

_Sing me something soft,  
Sad and delicate,  
Or loud and out of key,  
Sing me anything,  
we're glad for what we've got,  
Done with what we've lost  
Our whole lives laid out right in front of us,_

Brooke walked into the nursery, feeling bad that she had left her screaming daughter all alone with Peyton. Leaning against the door frame, she watched her best friend sing to her daughter. Jillian wasn't asleep, but she had stopped crying, so Peyton stopped singing, but the lyrics rang through her head like nothing else was there.

_Sing like you think no one's listening,  
You would kill for this,  
Just a little bit,  
Just a little bit,  
You would,_

_Sing like you think no one's listening,  
You would kill for this,  
Just a little bit,  
Just a little bit,  
You would, you would..._

_Sing me something soft,  
Sad and delicate,  
Or loud and out of key,  
Sing me anything._

Brooke took Jillian back from Peyton and smiled down at her.

"There's my pretty girl" Brooke kissed her daughter's forehead, looking back up at Peyton. "Thanks for doing this Peyt. I thought my brain was going to explode" She laughed a little

"It's no problem B." Peyton smiled, holding onto Jillian's hand, smiling at the baby. "Let's go watch a movie. I'm in the mood for Finding Nemo anyway" She smirked, walking out of the room.

"Do you want to watch Finding Nemo baby?" Brooke smiled as she cradled Jillian in her arms. "I knew you would Jilly Bean" She laughed a little, walking out of the nursery and into the living room, sitting down on the couch, propping her feet up on the coffee table and putting Jillian between her legs.

"I see Bean wanted to watch too" Peyton smiled, sitting down after putting in the movie and turning off the light.

"Yes she did" Brooke smiled, playing with Jilly's hands.

It was a picture perfect scene.

* * *

Brooke woke up the next morning, groaning as she heard Jilly cry through the baby monitor. "6:30?"

"Mommy's coming baby" She groaned a little as she got out of bed.

She walked into the nursery and leaned over the crib. "You almost made it through the night Jilly bean" Brooke smiled a little

Picking her daughter up out of her crib, Brooke put her down on the changing table, changing her diaper, and putting her soft pink onesie since she figured she wasn't going back to sleep anyway.

When she finished with that, Brooke sat down on the rocking chair with Jilly in her arms, feeding her as she hummed a little to her.

Once Jillian had finished eating, Brooke wiped her mouth and burped her. Taking her into the living room, Brooke laid down on the couch, laying her daughter down ontop of her as she watched tv.

At around 7, Peyton was leaving the house. She kissed Jilly goodbye and said she'd see Brooke later.

"Well, we're all alone again Bean. What do you want to do?" She asked the baby laying on her chest.

"Stay here? I thought so" Brooke smirked a little, looking back at the tv. Hearing the doorbell ring, Brooke sat up, keeping Jillian against her chest as she went to answer the door.

Opening it, she had a shocked look on her face as she saw who it was.

* * *

**AN: Bum Bum Bummmmmmm Cliffhanger! So I decided to get a new chapter out on this one before I went into crazy studying mode lol. Review pleaseeee :)  
Oh yeah, and the song is Existentialism on Prom Night by Straylight Run. **


	3. Hello Stranger

_"Well, we're all alone again Bean. What do you want to do?" She asked the baby laying on her chest._

_"Stay here? I thought so" Brooke smirked a little, looking back at the tv. Hearing the doorbell ring, Brooke sat up, keeping Jillian against her chest as she went to answer the door._

_Opening it, she had a shocked look on her face as she saw who it was._

* * *

"Nathan?" Brooke was still shocked when she saw the tall raven haired boy with the piercing blue eyes. 

The tall muscular boy, the boy she had been best friends with since they were five, but hadn't spoken much since she had gotten pregnant, looked down at his feet awkwardly before speaking. "Yeah, hey B" He smiled a bit, looking at the pink bundle in her arms. "So this is the famous Jillian Davis Peyton is telling everyone about?"

Brooke looked over her shoulder at her daughter's face. "Yup, this is her. We call her Bean though" She smiled looking back over at Nathan. "Do you want to hold her?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at her friend as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

"Uhh sure" He shrugged, holding the baby gingerly in his arms after Brooke handed her to him.

"Support her head with your arm...there" She smiled at the sight. Nathan looked really tense, like he felt like he would break her. But then again, Jillian looked so small in his muscular arms.

"Here, let's go into the living room so you can sit and be a little more comfortable" She smiled, leading him into the living room and sitting down next to him on the couch. She grazed her hand against Jillian's cheek as she began to fuss "Hey baby, it's okay. Mommy's right here, and Uncle Nathan isn't gonna hurt you" She smiled as the little girl began to calm down

"Woah B" Nathan's eyebrows raised as he saw Brooke with Jillian. "Who would've thought you would be the motherly type?"

Brooke smirked a bit when she heard Nathan's comment "Comes with becoming a mother" She kissed Jillian's forehead.

Nathan nodded, he got it. "So why Bean?" He asked, raising an eyebrow slightly as he looked down at the baby in his arms

"Because she's so small. I didn't get it. I mean, my stomach got huge, and all it held was a tiny little baby" She explained, leaning back into the couch as she looked to the side at her friend.

"Makes sense" he nodded. "So I'm guessing she's why you wanted to graduate early and leave me to the hands of my ass of a brother?" He smirked. Nathan always resented Lucas for leaving Brooke like that all the time. First for Peyton, and then when he had Peyton, he would still go after her. At least when Nathan and Haley broke up, Nathan respected her wishes to stay away. His brother, on the other hand, was just like their father.

Brooke nodded. "I didn't want to look at him Nate, I'm sorry" The brunette glanced down at her hands sadly

Nathan's eyes softened as he saw the sadness in Brooke's face. "No no no, I didn't mean it like that" He shook his head a bit, taking one hand out from under Jillian's tiny body, and lifting Brooke's chin with his finger. "I get why you left B, I do. I don't want to look at him either, and he didn't even do anything to me. I can't even begin to imagine how you felt. I'm just here to be your friend again" He explained, leaning in and kissing her forehead.

Brooke leaned into Nathan's shoulder and sighed. "Thanks Nate. Guess you are the better Scott brother" She smirked a bit, tilting her head up to look at him.

"It's what I've been trying to tell you all these years" He laughed a bit, seeing the baby in his arms asleep. "Looks like Bean's asleep" He whispered.

"Here, let me take her up to her room" Brooke smiled, taking her daughter out of Nathan's arms carefully and going upstairs to put her in her crib.  
---------------------------------------------  
"Brooke?" Peyton called into the house when she had gotten home, only to have Brooke run down the stairs, baby monitor in hand, shushing her.

"It took me half an hour to get Bean down, and if you wake her up P. Sawyer, I'll kill you" Brooke smirked, waving her over to the kitchen.

"Got it. If I want to live, I have no voice" Peyton laughed a bit, following her friend into the kitchen.

"Exactly" Brooke laughed slightly, sitting down ontop of the counter. "So how was your day?" She asked, raising an eyebrow

"You mean school? Okay I guess. Nathan wasn't there in study hall, so it was incredibly boring. And you know that sub, Mr. T? The one everyone hates? Of course he was our sub, and so I couldn't draw or listen to my iPod or anything. Stupid old man" She whispered the last sentence to herself.

Brooke laughed a bit as she listened to Peyton talk. A part of her wished she was still going through school with her friends. Hating on the stupid teachers and gossiping on who slept with who where and when. It all seemed so long ago that she was doing that with her friends, but in fact, it hadn't been that long at all. Now her days revolved around Bean and work. She didn't regret it, but she did miss her old life. "Actually, Nathan came over here today"

"Oh yeah?" Peyton asked, raising her eyebrow. She knew Nathan liked Brooke. Hell, everyone knew it except Brooke herself. "What did you guys do?"

"Well he met Bean, and then we just hung out around the house" Brooke replied, playing with the bottom of her shirt a little.

"Sounds interesting" Peyton rolled her eyes, opening the refriderator. "What do you want for dinner"

"It was" Brooke smiled, looking at her friend "Um I don't really care" She smiled. "Whatever you want" She hopped off the counter and exited the room. "Call me when it's ready"

"You got it B" Peyton called after her.

Brooke walked upstairs, checking on Jillian seeing she was still asleep, then walking into her room, laying down on her bed and grabbing the phone, dialing a number she hadn't dialed in the longest time

_"Scott"_ _Nathan's voice rang through Brooke's ears, leaving a smile on her face._

_"Hey Nate"_

_"Oh hey B" Nathan smiled to himself "What's up?"_

_"Nothing. Bean's down for the night, and Peyton's making dinner so I figured I would call you" _

_"Oh is that how it is?" He smirked over the phone "I'm your last resort?"_

_"That's exactly how it is" She laughed a little "Better get used to it bud"_

_"So basically I'm your bitch?"_

_"Exactly" Brooke smiled confidently_

_"Great. And I always thought I was pimpin' dem hoes" He smirked_

_"Nope, not this one" Brooke laughed_

_"You're crazy B"_

_"That's why you love me"_

_"Of course" Nathan replied, 'More than you know' he thought to himself_

* * *

**AN: So I realize I haven't updated any of my stories in a while, but I figured I would start with this one. The other ones will follow, I promise. I'm not abandoning any stories! I promise! Review pleaseee! They help so much, and I would appreciate it greatly. Kaythanksbye :)  
-Rohini  
**


	4. Author's Note

Okay, I'm VERY VERY VERY sorry for the extreme lack of updates for what seemed like years. I've been EXTREMELY busy with school ending and raising my grades and stuff, but school is ending on Tuesday, which happens to be the last day of finals. So I WILL update next week for sure. I'm only continuing two of my stories though. This one and Look Who's Talking: Brucas Style because I feel like I have hit rock bottom with the others. Once again, I'm VERY sorry for the MIAness.

Rohini


	5. Good News, and Bad News

It was a busy day for Brooke and Peyton. School had recently let out, and Brooke and Jillian watched as Peyton graduated with the class of 2007. She felt a tinge of guilt at the time, almost sad that she wasn't able to wear the smooth royal blue gown, with the tassle hanging to the side of her face. Then a small gurgle by the little girl in her arms brought her back to reality, and she smiled down at the little girl. The two left right after the ceremony, so Lucas wouldn't see her, and Peyton met her back at home.

Brooke was playing on the ground with Jillian while Peyton was trying to convince her to go to the graduation party with her.

"Come on B. You didn't even really have a good send off, you have to come tonight" The blond tried reasoning

"I can't Peyton. I have Bean. You go and have fun" She shrugged

"Come on, you can bring her. Lucas isn't even going to be there tonight!" She knew the idea was stupid, but she might as well try.

Brooke gave her a look. "Bring a four month old to a Tree Hill high party?!" She laughed and shook her head. "Sorry, but I think I want to keep my baby thanks"

"You're impossible. I'm making Nathan come over then. He's being a social outcast too" Peyton walked into the kitchen, grabbing the wireless phone.

Nathan wasn't going to their last party? Well that was weird. "Did he say why he wasn't going?" Brooke yelled back into the kitchen.

"Something about not wanting to see his ass of a brother when you were home with the baby" Peyton yelled back.

"That makes no sense Bean" Brooke looked back to her baby, playing with her teddy bear a little. "Why wouldn't he want to go just because of me?"

"Alright, he's coming over." Peyton said, walking back into the room. "I'm going to go get ready. I'll crash at Haley's tonight so I don't bug you two" Peyton smirked

"Yeah, Bean'll probably be asleep by then and you're VERY loud when you're drunk"

"I wasn't talking about you and the baby Brooke" The blond winked at her friend before leaving the room.

"She's a wacko" Brooke shook her head, laughing to herself.

* * *

Peyton was just about to leave when the doorbell was rung. Putting Bean on her hip, Brooke walked to the front door, unlocking and opening it. A smile appeared on her face when she saw the familiar raven haired boy. "Hey Nate" She smiled, stepping aside so he could walk in.

"Hey Brooke" Nathan smiled, walking in. He smiled when Bean giggled, reaching out for him. "And hello to you too Miss Jillian Davis" He took the baby into his arms and tickled her stomach softly.

Brooke smiled at the sight, then walked into the kitchen and out to the living room, Nathan following her with Bean in his arms. He put the baby down on the carpet, and she crawled away once her knees touched the ground. Brooke put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow at Nathan. "So why aren't you going to this big goodbye bash?"

Nathan shrugged, "I don't wanna start anything with Luke. So I figured it was best to stay home. Plus, Haley's there, and I don't want to get in her way or anything" He retreated back to the couch, sitting down and fumbling with his hands a little.

Brooke sighed "Nate, it's been a year since that happened with you two. She has a boyfriend. Maybe you should find someone" She sat down on the couch next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He looked up at her when she touched his shoulder, and that's when blue eyes met brown. "I think I already have" He said, a weak smile appearing on his face.

"Oh yeah? Who?" Brooke turned to face him, sitting indian style and suddenly excited at the mention of gossip. Guess the old Brooke still shone through.

"You know her. Probably better than you think" He smirked, leaning back against the couch.

"Who?" Brooke whined, hitting his chest. "Nathan Royal Scott, you better tell me a name this instant" Brooke pouted at him

He reached behind the couch, where Bean was sitting, playing with her toy, and scooped her up onto his lap. He gave Brooke a solemn look "It's bean" He looked up at her, a smile creeping onto his face.

"Give me my baby" Brooke pouted, taking Bean from his lap. "Your uncle Nathan's a dummy, you know that?" She cooed at her daughter.

* * *

Peyton was walking around Rachel's house aimlessly, not really knowing what to do. She walked out onto the balcony, and looked out onto the lawn, seeing all those people. That's when she saw him. Ryan Dunne. The only boy after Jake that she REALLY fell for. There was always Luke, but they hadn't gotten so far into their relationship as to actually feel anything. But with Ryan, everything was different. She found herself always around him, and when she wasn't, she wanted to be. She really loved him until he cheated on her. But what made the whole thing even worse, was that it was with her cousin that SHE had introduced to him. Seeing him, she immediately grabbed the red cup next to her, downing it's contents. She closed her eyes as the beer slid down her throat. She looked around. She had to have another one.

* * *

Brooke and Nathan were stilling on the couch, Nathan's arm draped over Brooke's shoulder with Bean in between the two, her head on Nathan's lap, the rest of her body on Brooke's, sleeping soundly as the two watched The Notebook. It was the part in the movie where older Noah was being chased away after Allie forgot who he was.

"Hey Nate?" Brooke whispered, taking her teary eyes off the screen

"Yeah baby?" Nathan asked absentmindedly. Then opened his eyes wide when he realized what he had said.

Brooke paused for a second. Baby? "It's me, isn't it?" She whispered, keeping her eyes on Jillian, avoiding Nathan's gaze. "The one you found. It's me" She finished

Nathan watched her avoid his eyes. "Look, before you freak out or anything, will you hear me out?" He waited for some kind of response from her before starting. He watched her nod slowly.

"Brooke, I've liked you ever since we were little. Peyton knows it, Luke knows it, damn even HALEY knew it. But when Luke did that to you, just used you like that, I couldn't take it. I went to his house, and literally kicked his ass for about 10 minutes before I left. I honestly couldn't believe that he was capable of being such a jackass. You were my best friend B, and that means a hell of a lot more to me than a brother I didn't know I had til high school. I love you Brooke, and now you know" He finished, looking down at his hands.

After a period of silence, Brooke looked up at Nathan, slowly. And put her hand on top of his. "Can we please take it slow Nate?"

Nathan's eyes darted up to Brooke's, a big smile across his face. "Of course, anything you want B. I completely understand."

Brooke smiled contently, leaning her head onto Nathan's shoulder, and bringing her feet up onto the couch. She stroked a hand down Jillian's back as she and Nathan slowly fell asleep.

* * *

Peyton had probably drunk her weight in alcohol in the past hour. She was passed out on the lawn when Lucas found her. He shook his head a bit, telling Haley that he was just going to take her home seeing as she was so wasted. He picked her up bridal style and put her down in the backseat of his car, driving back to her and Brooke's house. He quietly opened the door with her key he found in her jacket pocket, and carried her upstairs to her room, where he laid her down in the bed carefully, turning off the light as he left. When he was down the stairs, about to leave, a baby in a small pink onesie crawled up to him. He picked her up "Hey baby, so you're my daughter everyone's talking about, huh?"

Brooke slowly stirred awake, jolting up when she didn't see Jillian on her lap anymore. "Nathan!" She shook the boy next to her, who slowly started waking up

"What happened B?" He asked once his eyes were open

"Jillie! She's not here!" Brooke quickly got up from the couch and ran out into the foyer, where she found Lucas holding her baby girl.

"So this is my famous daughter everyone talked about in school? The one her coward of a mother couldn't tell me about?" Lucas kept a calm voice, holding Jillian's hand in his.

"Lucas, give her back. She's not yours" Brooke's voice faltered a little as she held her arms out.

"Oh, but she is Brooke." Lucas took his gaze off the baby in his arms and looked to his ex girlfriend "Do you see her green eyes? You don't think she got them from you, did you? No, no, no. You have brown ones. My mother is the one with green eyes. Sorry to spoil your reconciliation with my little brother here" He nodded towards the tall boy who just walked into the room.

"Luke you better give her back otherwise your ass is dead" Nathan glared at his brother, putting a hand on Brooke's lower back.

"What is this?" Lucas asked, noting where his brother's hand was going. "You want my scraps Nate? You can have them. As for my daughter, I want to see her. I'll be generous and only ask for once a week. She stays at my house for a full day, and then sleeps over and you can have her back the next day."

"No way man. You're not getting her for two seconds." Nathan took a step towards the blond before Brooke pulled him back.

"You want me to take legal action? I'm sure a judge will be on my side when I tell him how you hid her from me for the first four months of her life. Is that what you want Brooke?" He smirked towards his ex.

"Fine. Whatever you want. Just give her back Luke." Brooke pleaded, " Please"

"Well since you said please so nicely," Lucas gave Brooke Jillian back, and turned to leave. "I'll be back on Monday for her so you three can have the weekend to be all loveydovey" That stupid smirk never left his face as he left.

"Why did you give in Brooke?! You're just giving him what he wants!" Nathan turned to his new girlfriend, who kept kissing her daughter's forehead.

Brooke looked up from her daughter's head. "Because Nate. He was going to bring a judge into this! And if he did, he might have gotten a hell of a lot more than one day!"

Nathan nodded slowly. She was right. He could've gotten 2 weeks out of a month or something. Brooke went back to holding her daughter close to her, and Nathan took the two girls into his arms. "It'll be okay Brooke" He whispered into her hair. "I promise"

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**AN: SHAZAM. Luke's back. I know it was supposed to be like Brooke and Peyton kept it under wraps, but come on. It couldn't realistically keep between the two. One because they live in Tree Hill, and two because it's high school! What doesn't get around in high school? So yeah, I'm leaving for three weeks on sunday, and I won't have internet access. So I'm very sorry if this and my other story don't get updated. Remember to review!**

**-Rohini**


	6. Author's Note 2

**AN: Okay, so I know it's been almost a month since I've updated, but I have a reason! I was at a camp in Rhode Island for three weeks without internet, and I thought I wrote an update before I left, but when I got back, it wasn't here. So I have to write a new one for both my stories. Please bear with me. If everything goes as planned, I should have an update for both stories by the end of the week. I'm really really really sorry.**

**-Rohini**


	7. People Can Suprise You

Brooke had a pretty good life going for her as of now. She had a beautiful four month old daughter, a boyfriend who had known her all her life, and a pretty great best friend. The only glitch happened to be the one who gave her her daughter. And that glitch went away for a while, but recently came back, and tomorrow, Brooke would have to face him, and hand over her daughter to him for a full 24 hours. She knew how much she would worry and how sad she would be for those 24 hours, so she asked Nathan to stay with her for the night, and he gladly accepted.

So there they were, Nathan with Bean on his chest and Brooke's head on his shoulder, smiling at the little baby. "She's only four months old" Brooke whispered

"What?" Nathan turned his head to face his brunette girlfriend

"She's only four months old. She doesn't know what he's done. She shouldn't have to go see him. He didn't even think of coming to see her when he found out about her. Who's to say he's not going to turn her against us all these years?" She propped herself up on her elbow and faced Nathan, looking into his deep blue eyes.

"Brooke, it's once a week. She'll see you the other six days. It'll be fine. And plus, I'm pretty sure no one could ever hate you" He leaned forward and kissed the top of her head lightly. "Stop worrying so much. He's a bastard. You and I both know it, and it's not fair to her for us to try and change the way she thinks." He said, taking the baby off his chest and putting her down on the baby as he turned on his side to look at Brooke better. "She'll know what you think of him, and she'll know what he thinks of you and me, and that's it. She can make her own decisions on what to think of him"

"So we're just going to leave it at that? And never tell her what he did?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her own boyfriend telling her that they weren't going to tell her daughter what her asshole of a father did to them.

"Yes. Because Brooke, you have to let her make her own decision about him. If she asks, then we'll tell her. But just leave it at that. She might not like it when and if we tell her because we didn't before, but you can blame it all on me, okay?" He smiled a little, putting his hand on Brooke's cheek.

"That's just what I'll do" She smiled a little "But I guess you're right. That doesn't mean he and I have to be civil does it?" There was no way she could ever be civil to Lucas Scott. Not even if he was dead. Too much had happened.

"No, not at all. If you don't want to see him, I can take her tomorrow if it makes it better" Nathan was willing to do whatever Brooke wanted to make her happy. And it wasn't even that he was whipped. He just loved seeing that smile of hers. It lit up his world.

"It's fine Nate. I'll go alone. I just wanted you to be here tonight so I wouldn't chicken out" She laughed a little, tucking a small piece of hair behind her ear.

"It's only a day babe. Like you said, he could've asked for more if he wanted to" Brooke nodded, and sat up, bringing the baby into her arms.

"You're gonna have to cause a rukus for daddy tomorrow, okay? Keep him up all night and cry as loudly as you can all the time" She smiled, kissing Bean's nose.

"I hear he's going out with Rachel, so that should be entertaining" Nathan smirked, still laying down and putting his arms behind his head. Everyone knew Rachel and Lucas's relationship was purely sex, but who really cared about them anyway?

"I wish we could videotape that. I think it would be hilarious" Brooke laughed "Rachel would pull that red hair right off her head because of this girl's cries" Bean was normally a good baby, but when she wasn't around Brooke or Peyton, she would scream loudly. She started to get used to having Nathan near her instead of Brooke and Peyton, but she would still whimper.

"Luke is in for a hell of a day tomorrow" Nathan sat up, kissing Brooke's lips lightly. "Let's go to bed babe."

Brooke nodded, getting off the bed and going into Bean's room. She changed her diaper, then put her into her PJ's, sitting down in the rocking chair. "Okay Bean. Tomorrow you're going to go with your daddy. And I guess Nathan's right when it comes to telling you about what he did, but I want you to make your own decisions about your life, okay? Don't let other people dictate who you want to become. Not me, or Nathan, or your dad, or Peyton, or anyone who isn't you." While Brooke was on this rant, she looked down to see her daughter asleep in her arms. She chuckled softly to herself. "I guess I'll have to tell you this later, when you can stay awake for longer than a couple hours, huh?" She smiled, and stood up, kissing Bean's forehead as she laid her down in her crib and pulled the blanket over her. "I love you so much Jillian Erica Davis" She a small smile came onto her face as she kissed her hand, then rested it down on the handlebar of the crib as she walked out of the nursery and closed the door.

Nathan was sitting in her bed, shirt off, stripped down to his boxers with the blanket over him when Brooke came back to her room. Brooke, in her sweatpants and cami, quickly put her hair up in a messy bun, and crawled into bed with her boyfriend. Nathan leaned back against the headboard, and Brooke put her head down on his chest, her hand tracing his abs. "Thank you for being so amazing to me and Bean this past month. I know it hasn't been easy for you to do" She tilted her head upwards to look at Nathan.

"You don't need to thank me. I love that little girl so much. I just want you and her to be happy, you know?" He shrugged his broad shoulders, lacing his fingers with hers and putting them on his lap.

She nodded, the smile not leaving her face. "I know. I just wanted to thank you for doing it. And for being a pretty amazing boyfriend" She smiled wider, her teeth showing now, and her dimples coming into view. The smile that lit up Nathan's world.

He leaned down and kissed her, "Well you're welcome Miss Davis" Brooke smiled contently and moved from Nathan's chest onto her pillow so they could sleep comfortably. Nathan slinked down onto the other pillow, grabbing a hold of Brooke's waist with his arm and pulling her toward him. He kissed the back of her head and laughed "Don't go killing anyone in your craziness without Bean"

"I'll try my hardest" She replied, her voice raspy from tiredness.

* * *

The next morning, it was time for Brooke to take Bean to Lucas's house, Nathan was just about to leave to go home. "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" He asked as Brooke had finished loading all Bean's stuff into the car, and was putting the baby into her car seat/carrier.

When she finished, she closed the door of her blue bug carefully, standing upright and walking over to Nathan. "For the thousandth time, yes" She laughed "Nathan, I love you for caring so much about me and Bean, but we'll be fine. I promise"

A big smile appeared on Nathan's face after she said that "You said I love you" He smirked

"Yeah? What are you gonna do about it Scott?" Brooke asked confidently, smirking as she did.

"This" Nathan replied, and before Brooke could respond, he grabbed her around her waist and pulled her towards him, kissing her deeply and letting his lips linger there for a while before pulling away. He walked back over to his car, and got in, a content smile on his face as he pulled out. "I love you too Brooke Davis!" He yelled out his window as he drove toward his house.

Brooke laughed as she went into her own car, then turned around to look at Bean, who laughed at her. "Love's a crazy thing baby" She smiled, turning her car on and driving over to Lucas's.

* * *

When Brooke got to her ex boyfriend's house, she got out of the car, pulling Bean's carrier, along with her baby bags out before walking up to the back door of the house considering Karen and Lily were out travelling the world with Andy. She knocked lightly on the door, narrowing her eyes at the redhead she saw behind Luke on his bed.

"I would prefer it if that skank wasn't around my daughter" Brooke said, holding Bean close to her

"First of all, she's not a skank. She's my girlfriend" Lucas started

"Or sextoy" Brooke muttered

Lucas shrugged it off and continued "Second of all, _our_ daughter"

"No, no no. Until the day you stay awake with her for a week straight because she won't stop crying, then she's 'our' daughter. Until that day, she's mine." Brooke countered.

"Fine. But I would prefer it if Nathan wasn't around her, and I don't see you changing that, so as long as Nathan's there, Rachel is." He finished

"Whatever. Here, take her before I change my mind" Brooke said exasperatedly. "I wrote down everything you need to know, on this piece of paper" She pulled the small paper out of her back pocket and put it in his hand. He quickly looked it over and nodded.

"Sounds easy enough" He shrugged.

"Yeah, just wait until I leave" Brooke smirked, turning to leave. "I'll be back tomorrow morning for her. Try to keep her in one piece, okay?" The smirk was still on her face as she got into her car and began driving away. She stopped and rolled down her window as she heard Bean start to cry. "Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you, she cries bloody murder whenever Peyton, Nathan, or I am not around" She smiled, giving him one last wave. "Have fun!"

* * *

"That bitch. Of course she would 'forget' to tell me" Lucas muttered, shaking his head as he sat down on the recliner, trying to calm Bean down.

Rachel took the list from the bed and looked it over. "Well it says here you should put her over your shoulder, rub her back and sing to her" She offered.

"I'm so desparate I don't even care. And it's only been two minutes" He sighed, putting the baby over his shoulder and beginning to sing.

"Dear God!" Rachel screamed as he began singing "You'll deafen that child before you stop her crying!" She laughed

"You think you're so smart? Here. You take her. Use your supposed 'motherly' instincts" Lucas said, thrusting the baby into Rachel's arms. "I'm going out" He said, grabbing his jacket and leaving.

"Asshole" Rachel muttered, trying to calm down the baby.

A while later, after Bean had just cried herself to sleep and Rachel was napping in Lucas's bed, Lucas came home, slamming the door shut, waking the baby up, who just started screaming again. "Are you fucking kidding me Luke?!" Rachel screamed, smacking him in the back of the head. "The brat finally shut up and you had to go and wake her up! You idiot!" She shook her head, picking the baby up and bouncing her up and down again. "Jeez do I feel bad for you kid. Your dad's an idiot" She looked over at her boyfriend. "Why did you want her anyway. You hate kids"

"I want to piss Brooke off, that's it. I don't even care about the kid." He shrugged, sitting back down on the recliner in his room.

"You're an ass, you know that?" Rachel had her moments when she could be a bitch, but this was just way out of her league. "You're gonna use a defenseless BABY to get back at a girl who did NOTHING to you?!" Rachel shook her head, dropping the screaming baby into her father's arms and turning to leave.

"Where the hell are you going? I can't do this!" Lucas said, standing up quickly and running after her.

"You're a complete asshole Lucas Scott. And I'm done. So don't call me. We're over" She shook her head "The sex wasn't worth it"

* * *

**AN: I tried to make your update extra long considering I promised it would be up the end of last week. Sorry about that. Review!  
-Rohini**


	8. IMPORTANT AN

_Best Friends for Life  
By: B. Davis FTW  
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the ideas in my head :)

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_

**AUTHOR'S NOTE.**

Hey everyone. I am planning on continuing this story, if anyone is still reading it. I'm going to start on a new chapter this week. I have an idea of where I want it to go after re-reading what I had written before, and it shouldn't be too long until I can get a new chapter on this out. I'm working on an update for _You Are My Only One_, and then I'll get this chapter out. You're probably asking me in your head what the point of this author's note was. Well, it's to let you know that I _will_ be updating this story, and also I want to get an idea of who's actually still interested in this story.

So if anyone who is considering reading this story at all, will you please just leave a quick review letting me know you are? You can just type a letter for all intents and purposes. I just want to know who's going to read this thing.

Thanks guys!

-Rohini


	9. Three Words Important AN

_Best Friends for Life  
By: B. Davis FTW  
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the ideas in my head :)

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_

To say Brooke was shocked to see her baby completely intact the next morning was a complete understatement. As her car pulled into Lucas's familiar driveway, she expected to be met with Lucas's exasperated appearance with his hair sticking in all directions, spit up all over his shoulder dressed in nothing but dirty sweats and an old tee shirt. Her jaw dropped to the floor when the unfortunate father of her child opened the white door looking, dare she say, _sharp_.

"Looks like I underestimated you Lucas Scott" Brooke lifted the pink and gray car seat off of Lucas's floor as he handed her the matching white and pink baby bag. "And look at that, she's sleeping too. An added bonus for Peyton and I" Her shock just continued when all Lucas did was shrug.

"It was really nothing," His glance moved down to the little girl by Brooke's side as he bent down, placing a small kiss on her forehead. When he returned to catch Brooke's completely surprised face, he repeated his former motion and just shrugged. "that list you gave me was a lifesaver, by the way. She's a great baby, and I can't wait to see her again next week"

"Uh..ye-yeah. Next week, right" The brunette couldn't help but be speechless. She thought for sure Lucas would've backed out of next week and never wanted to see his daughter again. It was a seldom occasion when Brooke Davis was speechless, and this was one of them.

"Yeah, well I actually have to get going" Lucas pointed outside toward his car, another smile across his face.

"Oh, yeah--of course" Brooke stepped out of his way, and when he locked the front door to his house, she walked with him to the end of the driveway where her blue Volkswagen bug was situated, along with his deep red vintage mustang with the two black stripes running down the hood. "I'll see you around, then" Still shell-shocked, Brooke secured the car seat into the back seat of her car, walking toward Lucas as she put her hands into the back pockets of her jeans.

"I'll be seeing you" He pressed his lips into a flat line, nodding toward her. _It's now or never, you ass,_ he thought to himself as he watched her open her door. He put his hand out, "Hey Brooke, hold up a sec!" He yelled to her, jogging over. "Do you-" He stumbled over his own words, _for a guy that wants to be a writer you're pretty bad with words._ "What I mean is, do you want to maybe go out for a cup of coffee this afternoon?"

Brooke bit down on her bottom lip, playing with her hands a bit as she tried to formulate what could be considered an appropriate response to Lucas's question. "Look Luke, this whole thing," She motioned between the two of them, "me being nice to you I mean, it's all for Bean." She didn't mean to sound so harsh toward him, but it was the complete and blunt truth. "Plus, you know I'm steady with Nathan, and I really love him. I'm sorry, but we're not even friends, really" She felt a tinge of guilt as she watched his hopeful face turn dejected.

"Oh.." Though he knew she would've probably said no, she didn't know she would let him down that hard. "You're wrong though." He said quickly as she sat down in her car and was about to close the door.

After starting her car, she rolled down the window. "What do you mean by that?"

"My friends call me Luke" He gave her a small half smile before turning toward his car. She watched his retreating figure through her rear view mirror and squinted her eyes as she drove out of his driveway and toward her own house, where she had hoped Peyton was.

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As she stepped out of her car, a smile appeared on her face as she saw that her daughter was, in fact, awake. She opened the door carefully, leaning down to kiss her daughter's cheek lightly. "Hey babygirl" She grinned, putting the baby over her shoulder "I hear you were pretty good for Daddy last night. You're such a good girl, you know that Bean?" As the duo stepped into the house, Brooke quickly scanned it for Peyton. "Ay! P. Sawyer! Where are you?"

"Living room B!" The wavy haired blond called back out to her. The previously bouncy blond curls had relaxed, and Brooke had to admit it was the best hairstyle Peyton had ever wore atop her head. "How'd the pickup go?" Peyton asked as she watched Brooke laid the baby into a bouncy seat.

Brooke bounced over to the couch, taking a seat next to her best friend. "It was so weird Peyt" Brooke's eyes widened, and her blond counterpart could tell that this was going to be an intense story, so she turned to face Brooke, folding her legs inward Indian style. "He actually showed some evidence of having a heart! He even kissed her forehead! I'm telling you Peyt, it was fucking _crazy_." She threw her arms into the air, still unable to believe that Lucas was able to show emotion. "Like seriously, he was the nicest guy ever, and he was even excited to see her next week! I thought he would be begging me to keep her at home! Jeez Peyton, I swear I don't know what got over him"

Peyton shrugged, and Brooke shook her head, remembering that was the exact motion Lucas kept repeating. "I don't know what's gotten over him Brooke, but I wouldn't trust it. He hasn't given any of us reason to in the past year. Hell, even the past _two_ years!"

"He asked me out" Brooke added quickly, and Peyton narrowed her eyes. "Don't even give me that look. You know I turned him down"

"You should've smacked him in the face!" Now it was Peyton's turn to throw her arms in the air. "Are you kidding me Brooke? You should've knocked that sucker one straight across the jaw for even thinking he had a chance with you! God, Nathan would kill him if he knew"

"And _that's _why we aren't telling him that this happened" Brooke stuck the sentence into the conversation before Peyton could even get a notion to mention anything to Nathan about this. "Seriously Peyton, I'm playing the privileged Hoes over Bros card here. _Nothing_ is to be said to Nathan about Lucas asking me for coffee, okay?"

Peyton contemplated fighting Brooke on this one, but ended up conceding, only because she heard the front door open and speculated it to be the raven haired boyfriend they had been talking about just about two point five seconds prior. "Fine. But when this blows up in your face, I get the right to laugh at you" She stuck her pink out at the brunette as Nathan walked into the room.

"Hello ladies" He half smiled, squatting down in front of the baby's bouncy seat to lift her into his toned arms. "And hello to you pretty lady" He lifted her high into the air, sitting down in between Brooke and Peyton as he set the baby down in his lap, holding her up on his knees.

"Oh I see how it is" Peyton took the baby from Nathan's lap and took her out of the room, leaving Nathan and Brooke alone.

"So how did picking her up turn out?" He asked curiously toward his brunette girlfriend. He was definitely curious as to how the whole evening turned out.

"Surprisingly well, actually" She moved in close to him, leaning her head against his chest. "He said she was really good last night, and he was looking forward to next week, which I thought was really weird"

"You're lying." A confused look took over Nathan's face as he heard her reply. "There's no way that guy showed sincere emotion toward Bean. He was probably lying to get on your good side or something" He refused to believe his older brother could actually keep from being mean for once in his life. "Was Rachel there?"

Brooke shook her head. "Now that I think about it, no, she wasn't." Brooke turned her head to look up at Nathan "Which is weird because she was definitely there last night when I dropped Bean off"

"And I think it's safe to say Rachel wouldn't have left Lucas's side" Nathan added, "Maybe she just couldn't handle Bean, which means Lucas was _definitely_ lying" He was going to prove Lucas had been lying if it was the last thing he did. Which sounded a little extreme, but he didn't want Brooke to warm up to his older brother. And if she had any reason to believe that he was actually changing, she would and that would allow Lucas to waltz in and take her from Nathan. And that wasn't happening.

"Can we stop talking about him? I kind of just want to spend today with you, considering I have work tomorrow and I'm pulling a double shift down at the cafe" She snuggled into him, closing her eyes to get a quick catnap in before Peyton would have to leave the house.

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Peyton walked into the living room, Jillian over her shoulder as she saw Brooke and Nathan sleeping on the couch. She walked over, and quickly deciding against waking them up since she knew Brooke had a long night. All night she had been tossing and turning because she was worried about the baby over at Lucas's house. She glanced at the bouncy seat, then at the little girl in her arms. "You'll wake them up if you need them, right?" When she was met with a small giggle, she nodded her head, laying the baby down on the bouncy seat.

"Peyton?" She heard Brooke's tired raspy voice and all she could do was smile as she turned around.

"Hey there sleeping mama" A smirk appeared across her face as she sat down next to her best friend on the couch. "I was going to let you two sleep a little longer while I left; the babe's in her bouncy seat and she seemed entertained enough" She watched in sympathy as Brooke propped her elbow on the back of the couch, resting her head against her hand. Peyton knew exactly how tired Brooke was as of now, with everything with Lucas going on especially. "I gotta go to the record store. Those vinyls don't sell themselves, you know"

"Don't people have iPods now a days?" Brooke could hardly keep her eyes open, but she knew she had to stay awake now since Peyton was leaving for work and no one would be there to watch the baby. After much mental procrastination, the brunette stood as Peyton did, walking over to the bouncy seat set up on the carpet about five feet away from the couch and lifted her daughter up from it.

"Vinyls are collector's items now, B" Peyton rolled her eyes as if Brooke should've known that by now. "Though I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in North Carolina who actually makes use of their vinyls and record player" She snapped out of the side of her mouth, placing a hand atop the baby's head before leaving. "I'll see you tonight B. And don't forget, tonight's your night to make dinner!"

Brooke groaned inwardly. She really began to hate this whole 'dinner system' they had going on at the Davis-Sawyer residence. When one person worked, the other made dinner. Normally, it worked out because their schedules never overlapped. Granted, if either had to get a new job or got promoted or such the whole system would topple and the two would have to conjure up a whole new 'clever' system for food. But hey, this system worked for them. One thing that had been recently added to the dinner system though, was feeding Bean. Brooke knew it was a little early to start her on baby food, but Jillian loved it.

"Alright baby, I'm thinking bananas are good for lunch, how about you?" Brooke pulled the mashed bananas out of the pantry and put the baby down in her high chair, sitting down across from her. She took the baby spoon and scooped some of the bananas, offering it to the infant, who gladly accepted it. "That's mama's good girl, there she is"

The baby happily gurgled and banged on her tray as she ate the mashed bananas. Just watching her put a smile on Brooke's face, but also made her sad knowing Bean would only be a baby for a short period of time. Then came her terrible two's, which Brooke definitely wasn't ready for, and she was afraid if she blinked, Bean would be graduating high school and ready to move away and begin her own life. All Brooke hoped for as a mother would be for her daughter to learn to be a respectable person as she grew and to not follow in her mother's footsteps by becoming a mother at the age of eighteen. "Brooke?" Nathan's tired voice brought her out of her daze, and she continued to feed the baby.

"Kitchen babe!" Brooke called back to Nathan, pausing Jillian's feeding to reach over and wipe the baby's face using her bib. By the time she had sat back down in her chair, Nathan was standing behind her and gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head.

"Do you want to go shower, and I can finish up feeding her?" He offered, and replaced her in the chair across from the high chair as Brooke got up, placing a kiss on the baby's head as she left. Walking up the stairs, Brooke smiled to herself as she heard Nathan and Bean laughing as he fed her. Never in a million years did she think at eighteen she would be okay with having a four month old baby and Nathan as her boyfriend. Nathan had always been her confidante, her go-to guy, but never anything more and she had to wonder what changed between them to make the both of them feel something more. Maybe Bean was the little push they needed to get started.

As she slipped out of her gray sweatpants and black wife beater, then her underwear Brooke glanced at herself in the mirror. Her pre-baby figure was slowly but surely coming back as she had gone to the gym twice a week for the past two months. A sense of pride washed over her as she thought of his fact; in high school, she didn't have to lift a finger to keep her figure because of cheer practice every day after school, then weight training on Saturdays. After the sudden lifestyle change that came with being pregnant, Brooke found things to be way harder than they were in high school.

Brooke stepped into the stream of warm water, her hair instantly getting darker. Brooke hadn't even thought of how much she had changed since she found out she had been pregnant with Bean. Her feisty, in your face attitude had been silenced to just thoughts in her head instead of bitching people out because she needed her job to support herself and her daughter, and she wouldn't be able to keep it if she was calling customers slutty liars who lied left and right. Stepping out of the shower, Brooke dried herself off and ran a towel through her hair, deciding against blow drying it. She pulled her soft white bathrobe over her underwear and walked into her room, moving toward the closet to pull out simple jeans and a t shirt.

As she walked out of her room and passed Bean's, she noticed Nathan in there with her, rocking the baby slowly in his arms as he sat in the rocking chair. Brooke stopped walking and leaned against the door frame, watching as his foot pushed carefully off the ground, moving the white wooden chair forward and back. "I could've done that, you know" She spoke quietly as to not wake the baby.

Nathan was in his own little world as he watched the sleeping baby in his arms. _His girlfriend's baby, and his niece_. "I know. I figured it was my duty as her amazing uncle to take over once in a while." He spoke without taking his eyes off the dark haired baby. He loved her not as a niece though, but as his own child. Which was weird for him because he brought himself into a situation most eighteen year old guys wouldn't even dream of for even their future. He took over the role of a male figure in a child's life who he had no responsibility for, but he loved every second of it. Seeing her amazingly cute toothless smile, watching her kick her legs in the air and try as hard as she could to get up on her hands and knees but fail because she can't quite support the weight of her head yet, feeding her mashed bananas and apricots and all that other gross food he could never eat in his life (which he had tried), and just being there to rock her to sleep for her nap were just a few of the things that caused him to fall in love with his niece. A baby who was not only the daughter of the love of his life, but a baby whom he had began to know as his own daughter.

"She's lucky to have you" Brooke stated softly, staying in her place against the door frame. She didn't even want to begin to think of what life would've been like if Nathan hadn't been there for them. Sure they had Peyton, and she was great, but there was no other feeling like seeing the love of your life with your child. It didn't even matter that said child wasn't biologically his. She was his daughter in any and every other way.

"You too baby." He slowly stood from the rocking chair once he was sure the baby was fast asleep before he placed her into her crib. After placing a small kiss on her forehead, he turned around just as slowly, slipping his arms around Brooke's waist. "I love you."

"Love you too baby."

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**AN: The reason that chapter ended so abruptly is because I've been writing this chapter for about three weeks now, and I've come to a conclusion. I'm no longer emotionally invested in this story, hence the reason I stopped writing it before. If any of you want to continue it, by all means go ahead. I'll put up a chapter and tell people to go follow yours because I'm pretty sure this will be the last chapter of Best Friends For Life that I will write.  
PM me if you once you've put up the story; you don't have to ask.**

**Sorry everyone,  
-Rohini  
**


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